The Lion and the Snake
by MercuryLynx
Summary: The would be auror Scorpius Malfoy is failing miserably at Potions. To keep Scorpius on track, Draco has asked Albus Potter, his star student, to tutor his son. What happens when James starts to question why his Gryffindor best friend has been spending more time with his little brother than him? Rating may go up to M for dark plot elements.
1. An Odd Situation

My arms ached, my legs were sore, my head was ringing and every muscle screamed in protest from the pain of a hard day's worth of dueling. I had a particularly tiring time this afternoon and all I really wanted to do now was collapse in my soft feather bed. More than rest though, what I _needed_ was advice. The benefit of your father being a professor at Hogwarts was of course that you could always seek him out for counsel. The downside was equal in that he would always be there to scold and discipline you when you did wrong.

I arrived at the door of his private apartments and was about to knock when I heard raised voices coming from inside. It was nearly midnight... Who on earth could be in with father at this hour? I leaned in as close as i dared trying to make out what was being said.

"You know you should discuss this with him."

"But how? How can I possibly tell him? Draco he's going to hate me."

"Albus, calm down. Your dad won't hate you, no matter what you say. He could never hate you."

"Of course he will. What would you do if Scorpius told you that? I mean really?"

**Merlin**, it was _**him**_ again. I nearly gagged when i realized who was in with father.

Albus Potter, the younger son of the famous war hero, was without a doubt my father's favorite student. In Draco Malfoy's words 'never had there been a more gifted child at the art of brewing'.

Since I was utter shit at potions the obnoxious snake had ended up closer to my father than me. They were always discussing complex theories and going off to collect rare ingredients in the forbidden forest. The greater irony was that as Harry's best student I ended up spending more time with the Potters than Albus. At least while in school. It had always seemed strange that I had turned out a Gryffindor while he was made a Slytherin.

"Honestly Draco. It wasn't rhetorical. What would you do if Scorpius told you—"

"—Albus stop… someone's outside."

There was a brief moment of silence before the door swung abruptly ajar. The movement caused a crackling orange glow to come pouring from the opening in warm whispering waves. The soft light of the fire made the stones look almost as though they were glowing. It was deceptively inviting. I sighed to myself. There was no use pretending i hadn't heard.

"If I told you what father?" I asked, walking into the room and towards the desk. I was acutely aware that the snake was staring at me.

"We were having a private conversation, nothing to do with _you_" Potter shot squinting at me dangerously. I rolled my eyes, clearly unimpressed. I stepped right up to father and gave him a hug, knowing it would annoy Potter. Father never really understood why I was so affectionate. Rarely did any member of my family show affection towards another. I suppose it was a Gryffindor quality.

"It's 11:30 at night, you're in my father's private apartments and I heard my name. I thought I'd come in and see what we were talking about."

"So you _were_ eavesdropping?" Albus asked outraged.

"Fuck off, I'm not a snake like you. I was just about to knock. I'm simply saying I had a right to ask."

"Boys, boys, calm down. Did you need something Scor?"  
I blinked in shock, hating that he treated me like this. Why couldn't I just want to come and say hi. Why did I need a reason?

"Not particularly. Do I always have to need something from you?" I shot back harshly. I was fast regretting having come at all.  
The snake snorted derisively as i spoke. "Of course you do" he hissed. Suddenly realization dawned on his face, making him appear cruelly delighted. "Oh I see! The poor little baby lion wanted a goodnight hug. Maybe he's waiting for a bedtime story too?" I wanted to hit the green eyed shit for that. Father merely glared at Potter, trying to conceal a smile. Blasted Slytherins.

"Albus, at least _try _to be nice. If only while i'm here. He is my son."

"Yes Professor, I was just leaving anyway. Goodnight Draco… I will see you tomorrow" Albus finished, walking towards the door. He stopped in front of me, staring in that strange way of his for a few moments before finally stepping out. There was something definitely weird about him. In fact there had _always_ been something weird about him.

"Tomorrow's a Friday. There are no potions classes scheduled for tomorrow. Why on earth would you be seeing _him_ on a day you don't even work? Its getting a bit much." Father raised a questioning eyebrow at me before turning his eyes back down to the stacks of parchment on his desk.

"If I'm not mistaken… I believe… he was speaking to you."

"Me? Why on earth would I be seeing that evil little creature?"

"Perhaps" he droned out, continuing casually to grade papers… "Because you're failing potions and he's the best person to remedy that."

Fuck...

"Oh…" I guess we finally had to deal with this. I had been trying to avoid the subject for as long as possible.

"Oh? is that all you have to say for yourself? You think I might have missed that my son was failing my own subject? Not likely. What will people say if my own blood can't brew ale let alone a decent potion. You know about as much as a first year."

Father didn't even sound disappointed so much as annoyed. It still hurt that he showed so little concern for me. I'm sure he cared more about the judgements of his peers than whether or not i succeeded.

"Anyone but him. Please." I didn't want to sound so helplessly spoiled, but I couldn't help it. "I'll find someone else to tutor me later i promise. I just wanted to speak with you about something."

"Its already decided, now go. I have to grade papers, so whatever you needed to discuss will have to wait until after you've improved your standing."

I scoffed at the dismissal. I really needed advice and this was his response? I clenched and unclenched my fists angrily as he dipped the tip of his quill into the ornate inkwell only to continue scribbling away.

"FINE" I shot angrily storming out. "Insufferable snakes..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)◊(~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Slytherins… I hated the lot of them. Where did they get off acting so—

"Hey lion!" A voice called as I slammed the door to my father's study. I turned and was shocked to see the green eyed snake leaning casually against the wall of the corridor. He didn't look nearly as smug as he had earlier. Either way i still couldn't handle any more of him right now.

"What do _you_ want?" I asked beginning to walk back along the path towards Gryffindor tower. I'd had quite enough of snakes for one day. They were all the same. Heartless, unforgiving, smug, slimy...

"I… I… just… wanted to apologize."

The words took me by such surprise that I nearly tripped down the stairs. He moved to stand in front of me, staring intensely the same way he always did.  
His eyes are always so ridiculously green. I've never seen anyone else with eyes the color of moss. He looks… almost fragile right now. It was a strange observation that i quickly pushed out of my mind.

"For what I said earlier… I'm sorry. I just… I needed your dad's advice. I'm dealing with a very personal issue… and I… I may be slightly… _defensive_ right now." I paused seriously at that, contemplating his very genuine apology.

"M_ean_ is a better word for it… but... I guess... I accept. And since you're to be my tutor from now on I figure we might as well get along. As unlikely as that would seem." I wanted to vomit as the words left me.

"Hahahaha. Draco told you about that did he. His idea of a joke, i assure you i didn't ask to be saddle with a talentless lion cub."

"Wipe that smirk off your face. And don't call my dad by his first name, its creepy."

"Why? You jealous?" He asked irritatingly. This was going to be murderous to endure... Always these snakes with their smug satisfied smirks, indefatigably believing themselves so superior.

"Not in the least."

"Well _i'm_ actually jealous of you. I wondered whether the feeling was mutual." He whispered quietly as we walked. It was the second time he had shocked me in as many minutes. In all our years at Hogwarts we had hardly exchanged a full two sentences, so it was strange to hear _this_ of all things.

"What? Really? Why?" I watched as he frowned at me.

"Why? Why?" He sputtered. "_I_ started calling _your_ dad Draco ever since the first time I heard _you_ call _my_ dad Harry. I've always been jealous of the way you are with... them." I was so surprised to hear the creepy, sneaky, snarky, slippery Slytherin speak so... revealingly. He'd always seemed… I don't know… distant. I couldn't help but give him credit for that.

"Well… maybe I am… a little jealous" I offered in light of his candor. Suddenly he grinned wickedly and I couldn't understand why until he spoke again.

"That was easy. Well of course you're jealous. Look at me. There's little not to be jealous about. You are all so easy to manipulate."

"Ugh… such a shit. Just when you say something that reminds me you're human you turn around and act like a snake." He smiled at that, as though it were a compliment, and for a second I thought I just might be able to like him. There was something really warm about the way he smiled. I had never noticed it before. He was always smirking, so much so that you rarely ever got a chance to see the kindness that poured from his actual smile.

"A snake? Why thank you."

"Merlin preserve me." I sighed. "So when do we start this tutoring business?"

"Humph, tomorrow night…You're dad gave me permission to take you into the forbidden forest. Maybe he thinks i'll murder you and save him the trouble of your failure."

"Ugh… but tomorrow's a friday. If i'm out all night I'll be too exhausted to go play quidditch with James saturday morning…"  
I watched Albus flinch at the statement, realizing how serious he had actually been. The snake had really felt weird about this for years… well it was an odd relationship our families shared. "What on earth does the forest have to do with potion brewing anyway?" I asked trying to distract him. "Isn't potions just about following recipes?"

"If that were true any imbecile with a cookbook could do it. Why do you think half the students in potions fail even though the recipes are right in front of them?"

"Wait what? You're not just an imbecile with a cookbook?" I asked in feigned shock. He smiled again, which made me smile too.

"Was that witty humor? From a lion? No I'm not just an imbecile with a cookbook, as you most certainly will find out studying under me. Good Night. I'll see you tomorrow in the dungeons before we head into the forest."  
With that he vanished down a dark corridor without even leaving me the chance to reply. Could I really survive months of _this_?

* * *

If you like these characters check out my other story. It has a longer more developed plot and the characters are infinitely more complex. I'm dedicating this story to all my TFAB:TFAL reviewers/ followers / readers ... and to... well you know who you are...  
This will probably be a 20K story. Updates regularly. I may take suggestions if you care to leave them. I respond to my readers so don't feel too shy to PM me.  
Hope you enjoy


	2. I Can't I have to Study

"Hey Scorpius" A familiar voice yelled as its owner raced through the corridors to catch up with me. I don't know how many years I'd known the smiling idiot, but it felt like forever. At least every school term since I started Hogwarts and almost as many of the summers and holidays in between had been spent in his company. There had been beaches, birthdays, flying and untold amounts of laughter. I had no doubt in my mind that he was my best friend in the entire world and would be forever.

"A few of us are gathering tonight to celebrate our win against Hufflepuff, it wouldn't do for our star seeker to miss out on the fun."

"I cant James, I have to study. Im failing potions and I cant afford to slack off now. You know how badly I'm doing."  
He eyed me as though anyone in their right mind could have missed how poorly I was doing at potions. Noisy students poured like rivers into the halls as the last classes of the friday finished.

"What? All night?"

"A midnight excursion into the FF if you can believe it."

"Oh come on Scorpius, one night isn't going to make a difference. Besides, a certain someone is going to be there." I grabbed James by the robes and pulled him into an abandoned classroom, flinging the door closed behind us.

"Are you mad? Dont say anything in public, ever."  
He merely smiled at me, ignoring my concern. It never failed to disarm me.

"Come on, I was only teasing. Anyway I have a date too. Melody Abbot finally said yes."

"Humph if only to have the peace of you not asking her twenty times a day."

"Shut up. You know she couldn't resist me" He said with that radiant smile of his. "It takes a real lion to tame a girl like her." I rolled my eyes and pulled the door open again, leading us back out into the bustling corridors. The sound of chatter and laughing children was the most welcoming sound i had ever heard. I couldn't fathom how i had managed with the quiet existence of life at the manor. "Did your little dove say yes to you then?"

"I don't know how you got it into your head that i'm interested in that imbecilic creature, because i'm really not. I wouldn't ever have asked."

We both continued down the corridor, watching as frightened first years parted in awe before us. Upper class-men must seem a lifetime away. How fast it had all gone by. I could picture the sorting as though it had happened yesterday. The sight of the castle as the boats made their way across the lake. The sight of the floating candles in the great hall. The eerie sound of the hat speaking into my head. The shock and applause when it had yelled 'Gryffindor!'

"Fine, but you should find someone you are actually interested in. It would do you some good little Scorpius. Its really about time" He finished, ruffling my hair playfully. I hated that he was a seventh year. His seniority made him godlike in my eyes.

"Don't worry about me Jamie, I'm certain I'll find someone in good time."  
Just as the words left my mouth a group of slytherins came creeping around a corner, knocking into us ungracefully as we made to leave the courtyard.

"Watch it snake!" James growled as his brother recovered from the impact. The other students jeered and moved on towards the dungeons while Albus merely turned towards me skeptically, tapping his wand against his wrist to remind me of the time.

"Yes, yes, don't worry. I won't be late Al" I shot tiredly at the green eyed boy. I sighed, shaking my head as the smiling idiot disappeared into the sea of faces behind him. Al's smile was even bigger than James's. It was somehow even more full (if that was possible). These Potters… They irritate and fascinate me to no end.  
I turned back to James, about to resume our conversation, when I received the most suspicious stare he'd ever given me. You'd think by his expression that I was plotting a coup d'état or the murder of some particularly cute puppies.

"Al? Al? When did _that_ start?" James asked with surprise on his face.

"Don't look so shocked. It was my fathers idea. Who better than his star pupil to make sure i don't fail?"

"But you just called him Al. In all the summers you've been to the house, I don't think I remember either of you saying all of five words to each other. And come to think of it, what you do say to each other here at school tends to be spiteful or argumentative. I would almost go so far as to say you hated him."

"That's not true at all. He's not as bad as all that. You know I don't have it in me to _hate_ anyone. Actually he's kind of funny" I offered, chuckling to myself. That was one reason at least. I didn't really know how to tell my best friend that I actually enjoyed…

"But even I don't call him Al. He's always been… well… off. Merlin knows i don't get him… at all. I mean he is my brother, but you know we never got along. He's closer to Lily and mum than either dad or me."

"So what? You talk as though he were a monster. He's still your little brother. Slytherin are people too… as loath as you are to admit it. He's still human."

"That's news to me. He's by far the most attractive kid in school yet I've never seen him bring friends, or girls or even a stray animal over to the house. He'd invite his professors for holidays if there was a chance of them saying yes. Sometimes I think he doesn't realize what he looks like. That or he must have the social skills of a retarded seal."

"What does his face have to do with _anything_? You sound ridiculous. Lets take you for example. You have loads of friends yet you look like something one of Hagrid's blast ended skrewts excreted."

"Yup, thats why _the_ Melody Abbot agreed to go out with me." I rolled my eyes at that, smiling.

"Well everyone says he has a way of explaining the material that makes potions rather enjoyable. That's all I really care about. And I'm stuck with him for the foreseeable future, so we might as well get along."

"So you can't come to one of the biggest parties of the year because you're going to be studying with my oddball little brother?" James asked before he burst into a fit of roaring laughter. I merely squinted at him as everyone around us stopped to stare. James had always lived without a single concern for what anyone else might think of him. He just lived, wholly in the moment, barreling heedlessly towards the future without a concern for anything else.

"Yeah that's pretty much the sum of it." I finished somberly, realizing how sad a prospect it really was. The party would have been fun. James clapped me on the back and sighed.

"Well… Good luck improving your grades with him as your tutor." I stopped, entirely confused by that. Sometimes James didn't make any sense.

"What on earth are you on about? He's a genius at Potions. If _he_ can't help me, I might as well give up on the idea of becoming an auror. Are you telling me I'm that hopeless?" James smirked and leaned in close enough to whisper, catching me completely off guard.

"I know you well enough by now to tell when every word someone says will go into one ear and out the other. Just don't let him catch you drooling. Staring can pass for attentiveness but he'll think you're soft in the head if you drool all over your notes."

"Ha-ha-ha. Hys-ter-i-cal. You know… one day it will be _my_ party, and I will just have to make sure to forget to invite _you_." James looked like he thought himself the funniest creature on the planet. It was a shame he was too coordinated to trip down the stairs. Maybe the slytherin would have pushed him.

"Go, learn potions from the snake until you collapse from exhaustion. Just make sure you make it to practice tomorrow."

"That will be easier for me to do than you. You go, drink yourself into a stupor. It will be fun watching you fall off your broom. Maybe your face will look less like excrement when it hits the ground."


	3. Not what I expected

I arrived in front of the stone walls of the dungeon. It was where the Slytherin students were most often seen and so I reasoned had to be the location of their dormitories. I couldn't believe Al had forgotten to give me the password. I waited for a few minutes, hoping a snake would pass by to let me in. Ten minutes passed quickly by before I gave up and started shouting profanity at the wall. Another three minutes elapsed before the profanity took on a particularly inventive quality. It wasn't long after that before i started shooting in the dark.

"Basilisk fang." I tried, whispering my guess to the cold bricks. "Venom, viper, serpent, ashwinder, python" Nothing seemed to work. I stopped for a moment considering who the slytherin prefects were or whether or not my father the head of the house might have set up this months password. I attempted a few more guesses, trying the names of malign creatures or particularly evil historical figures before cursing when my foot collided angrily against the hard stone. I heard a soft giggle from behind me and shifted to find Albus Potter staring at me from his casual position braced against the corridor wall. I was mortified.

"You find this amusing?"

"You have no idea." I sighed at his words. His smile made me want to hit something.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough. Good guesses by the way. All wrong obviously."

"I can't believe you let me go on talking to a wall for the better part of an hour. We wasted time you could have otherwise been using to teach me."

"Oh well. Ten minutes less you'll spend flying tomorrow." He detached himself smoothly from the carved rock and made his way over to me. "Asp" The dungeon bricks erupted into a sea of moving pieces before the word had even fully slipped from his lips.

"Your own initials? Let me guess, you had the honor of choosing this months password?"

He looked uneasily at me. Wait…

"You're not a prefect."

"I… replace Burke as prefect starting next month."

"But you're not yet. Which means Hogwarts magic would keep you from being able to do that. Who chose your initials as the password?" It was a curious choice. Out of all of the snakes in the animal kingdom why that one? It was obviously done in honor of Albus.

"Erm… I think our head of house might have picked it" Al offered awkwardly as he entered through the open passage. He had conveniently chosen not to say 'your father'

"Well… I guess… you are his best student…" It was beyond strange. I followed him into the common area and froze as all eyes flew towards me. Every conversation had stopped the moment they'd seen my Gryffindor scarf. A gloomy looking black haired boy had actually shot up from his seat.

"Who the fuck let the Lion in here?" He looked perturbed by my presence. I peered around the room looking for Albus when instead I spied Lily on the couch closest to the fire. She had draped herself around an adorable blond boy a year her junior. She had barely acknowledged me.

"Sit back down Nott. He's _my_ guest." Al shot, reappearing at the base of a hidden staircase.

"Oh… sorry Potter. I didn't know." Nott looked almost frightened by the smirking Albus. He could barely make eye contact. I swear he nearly tripped as he sat back down in his chair. Al merely smiled at me.

"Come on Scor, its this way" He offered, disappearing behind the curve in the wall. I followed Albus up the stairs, marveling at how far we were climbing.

"Scor?"

"Oh… well… isn't that what your dad calls you?"

"My father doesn't call me that any more. Only James ever uses that name now."

"Oh..."

"Don't worry, call me whatever you like. I don't mind. Anyway… I always thought the dungeons were _beneath_ the black lake. Where are we going?"

"Well… my room isn't technically part of the dungeons proper. Usually the room is reserved for when there's a Slytherin head boy or girl. Well that or if there's a particularly lucky student." We reached a small landing with doors to the left and right. Al slipped a key into the lock of the lefthand door and pushed it open when he heard the click. We entered a beautifully lit chamber with large round windows reminiscent of a ship's lower deck portholes. I realized the shape was due to the fact that the room was situated directly above the surface of the black lake. The other door must have led out onto a terrace or deck. Against the wall was a full sized bed with enough space on each side for a bookshelf and a desk. There was enough room on the other side of the apartment for a small kitchen and potions station.

"How on earth did you get this apartment? No really. Who did you kill for all this? Unless you slept with somebody instead." Just then I heard a knock on what I had at first assumed was just a closet or bathroom door. Albus walked straight to the desk and picked up a sheet of crisp parchment, reviewing it quietly before calling out to the visitor.

"Come in Professor. I have the paperwork here. All I need is your approval as a teacher and a signature as a parent." My mouth fell slightly agape when Father came into the room dressed in his black and gold pajamas. I saw another set of stairs through the door behind him and realized they must have led up to the chambers of Slytherin's Head of House. This was a guest suite for my dad. Things couldn't get any weirder.

Albus picked up a few phials and slipped them into the pockets of his robes while he casually cast the piece of paper adrift. It flew steadily towards father who signed it midair when it arrived.

"Don't get yourselves killed out there tonight. And please try to teach him something useful Albus. A quick lesson before you head out I think might serve. Goodnight Scorpius. Albus." Father hadn't even waited for a reply before closing the door and heading back to his own room. It took me a moment to recover from the shock of it all.

"You _live_ with my father?"

"_What_? Oh… Hardly. The door _has_ a lock. Your father has been helping me for years with a project of mine. Its easier for me this way. When I'm finished it will revolutionize our entire world. Shall we start a brief lesson before we head out for some fun?" He pulled out two chairs at the semi circular table that served as his desk. I sat down next to him, thinking about how strange this situation was.

"Well you need a good memory to succeed at potions—which I know you have because of how well you do at charms—but its not for the reason you might think. A potions master almost always has a recipe to work from, so whats really important is understanding the ingredients. Once you do, Potions becomes easier than tying your shoes. To best understand—"

"—Wait. How do you know I'm skilled at charms?" I interrupted, surprised that he knew anything at all about me aside from my first and last name. We didn't share a charms section so it was slightly surprising.

"Erm… I think james mentioned it once." He offered frowning at the interruption. "As I was saying. The most important aspect of potions is understanding the properties of the ingredients you are using." He paused, looking up thoughtfully. "I think I'm going to teach you a little differently than I might a normal student. I want you to think of a spiders web" He offered, drawing a nest of lines on the page in front of him. He looked too young to be teaching anyone anything. If I hadn't been sitting right beneath father's room I might have already been distracted by how adorable Albus was. James' comment had annoyed me profoundly. I can't believe he's up in Gryffindor tower setting up for a party.

"Picture each thread running from the center of the web as a property of an ingredient, and the lines that connect them as points of comparison. Each property is like an axis of symmetry, the farther along a point is situated along the line the more potent the property." He spoke so intently that I couldn't bear to interrupt him again. I couldn't for the life of me see how any of this had to do with potions.

"Ok."

He then began casually highlighting the vertical line by drawing over it multiple times with his graphite pencil.

"Lets say this axis represents the property of fire for ashwinder scales." He waved his wand over the paper and the highlighted line turned a dancing shade of orange and red. "A point very deep below the horizon on this line would mean the ingredient confers extraordinary protection from fire" He explained, plotting a point near the bottom of the page. I think I understood.

"While a point higher up above the horizon, would… what, make the drinker _more_ flammable?"

"Exactly!" He shot excitedly, looking up at me with surprise in his eyes. "Well… for the moment you could think of it like that. I can't believe you got it so fast."

"Please don't look _so_ shocked. I'm not as dumb as you might think. I just don't see how any of this relates to Braxter's theory, Flammel's equation, or anything else I failed on my last potions exam."

"Memorizing those stupid rules will get you nowhere. I know them only because I have to. I can make due without ever using Braxter's theory. First tell me what potion you messed up on your practical, then I can explain it using the web. I guarantee you that everything about potions brewing can be determined using this method and a mixture of imagination and common sense." Somehow I doubted his assurances. But… if he was that good at potions I couldn't see how he could be wrong.

"Are you sure?"

"I'll take it a step farther. If you can't _invent_ your own potion after a month of studying this, you win." I smiled. What exactly would I win?

"It was drought of the living dead."

It took about an hour of explaining but he'd gone through a myriad of reasons why half of potions recipes had to be intuitively changed depending on the ingredients, their properties and the type of equipment used. He went through the sedative effects of Valerian root and why it should be added in slices rather than chunks. It was amazing. Every single aspect of the brewing process could be explained using the points on the web. He even connected all the dots for the essence of wormwood and I was surprised to discover the lines formed a constellation. It resembled the spiraling shell of a snail, the astrological symbol for delay and sluggishness. He explained how it actually indicated the overall effective use of wormwood in every potential potion it could be used in. It was wildly fantastic.

"I've never heard anything like this in a potions manual. Come to think of it, I've never heard of _anyone_ teaching potions like this."

"That's because I came up with the web theory." I spun back towards him, watching as his face turned red.

"You came up with this?" I asked completely shocked. "By yourself?"

He started to blush redder at the attention.

"Don't you look at me like that. I manage to fuck up at almost every other subject. At least I have this one thing I'm amazing at. You don't know how many new potions I've invented using these property charts. All I have to do is think of what I want a potion to do and I can use these to figure out in an hour the best ingredients to use and how to combine them." He stopped when he realized he was boasting. It was actually rather adorable.

"Thats absolutely brilliant Al. So this is what my dad has been helping you with? Cataloguing as many property charts as possible?"

"Well not exactly. It started out that way but now we're trying to develop an actual charm to reveal the chart of any given ingredient. That way we wouldn't have to experiment with every ingredient for years just to discover all of their uses. If it works I could change the face of potioneering. We could finally figure out the best uses for the rarest and most potent of ingredients. Basilisk eyes, Unicorn horn, phoenix tears, acromantulae fangs or venom, dragons heart string. It wouldn't just work for potions, it would change the way we enchant objects too. We could figure out the best wood to use for brooms or wands, or even get closer to understanding how the ancient egyptians could enchant rods to shoot lighting or trap spirits in jewels. It would change magic as we know it."

He sounded so passionate, so enthusiastic. His ambition was truly remarkable, and so was he. I had never realized before just how intelligent the shy little boy at James house had been. I was exceptional at charms and DaDa but this was… pure artistry.

I decided to draw a funny little spider in the web, ready to devour a helpless fly. I guess he thought it would be humorous to put my initials on the spider, so he penciled the letters SHM on it. Just like that we were highschool students again. I smiled for a moment then looked back up at him in complete shock.

"You know my middle name?" I asked surprised. This tutoring session was quickly becoming a back and forth of unexpected surprises.

"Of course. How else could I sit all day in class writing you initials next to mine inside of a thousand little hearts if I didn't know your middle name" He asked sarcastically. I laughed at that. "You're nearly as famous as me you know. I would have heard it in a history book somewhere had I not already seen it at the manor. Merlin you lot are stuffy. Monograming your initials on all your clothes. Blecht." I smiled again until the reality of the situation sank in. He'd stayed in my room…

"You stay in my room when you do those summer programs with father?" I felt sick. There had been summers spent with James when Albus had been off on his own. I knew that throughout one of them at least, Albus had been to the manor with two other students to do an internship for father.

"I told you. This whole situation has been a bit weird for years. I think the only reason you haven't noticed is because you've had james as a best friend. If I had a sibling of yours to steal I think I wouldn't have have felt so awkward about it all."

"Yeah but in my room? We have a cascade of other guestrooms you could have used."

"Draco insisted I use yours. He said it was the most comfortable room in the house. Besides do you know how many times I've come home and found a suspicious article of clothing with an all too familiar SHM printed on it? You use my bed when you come over. I just usually move to another room before you arrive."

I thought about that for a moment. I had started this… I had no right to feel weird about how close my father and Albus were… or that he stayed in my room during the summer. I had stolen his brother and father first. I felt a little nauseous. I took a moment to breathe in the smell of the lake air as a breeze drifted through an open window.

When I opened my eyes I realized he had been staring at me

"I would pay a mountain of gold to know what you're thinking right now." I don't know why I said it, but the moment I had I could swear he started to blush again. How could any of the slytherins be afraid of… _him_. He was like a puppy.

"I was just wondering whether you were enjoying the lesson. I know how badly you want to be an auror and for that you need an O or EE at potions." I stopped at that. He really wanted me to do well. I would have hated tutoring another student. Was he really a slytherin? What had happened to the brazen, cheeky kid that snapped and argued with me over the smallest detail? He seemed almost… sweet.

"Are you kidding? You've turned potions into a puzzle. I actually understand what to look for now. Theres a logical flow to the preparation. Its not random at all. I can't wait for whatever surprise is hidden in the Forbidden forest."

"Hah. You're assuming I think you're ready for that. But I'm glad you are enjoying yourself."

"I have a question, if you don't mind."

"Shoot."

"Why are you being so… nice? You always seem so… well for lack of a more sophisticated term… not nice." I had meant it to be humorous. I really thought he would find it funny, but he merely looked sad.

"Here's another lesson. Slytherins… hide their insecurities beneath a torrent of harsh, biting words. The simple truth is that I owe much to your father. On top of that, you're James' best friend. We slytherins don't often get an excuse to treat people decently. Not that Gryffindors are really people." He smiled again, and I had to physically keep myself from leaning in to kiss him. I shook that thought from my mind. This was James' little brother and there was no way i was sane anymore.

"You're not at all what I expected." I offered, regaining my composure. I was going to have to show him my discoveries at charms. That or have him watch me duel. I suddenly felt the need to show him what I could do.

"Neither are you."

* * *

These are just a few first chapters. I will wait a week or so to release more. I just thought i'd give you guys a taste of the story. While you are waiting i recommend checking out my other story. Its awesome (no bias obviously XD)

This chapter will be edited when i upload more content next week.

Review and i might write faster. Hope you enjoy.


	4. How can you be real?

So, am i ready for the Forbiden forest?

Just about, i need to pack a few ingredients of my own before we can leave.

He stood up quickly, making his way over to the potions station to collect various herbs and dried powders. How could someone so young know so much? He paused contemplatively over a small box filled with teardrop shaped phials, deciding finally to line his robes with several dozen. Of the ones i could see were a phial of deep emerald, one the color of frost and the third a flickering orange. Ruby flames seemed to dance within the last piece before it disappeared beneath the fabric of his robes.

He finally turned back towards me with a smile and i knew he was ready. I opened the door and was about to head back down the stairs when i felt a soft hand pulling at my shoulder, gently guiding me away. He shook his head and motioned towards the other already open entrance. I had been right, it led out onto a deck. Docked at the far end was a small boat which i assumed we would take into the forest by first crossing the lake. He led me forward towards the flimsy looking thing, the delicate touch of his hand nearly distracting me from my apprehensions.

"You dont mean for me to get on that... Raft? That sad excuse for driftwood?"

"Shes a boat and she'll hold us just fine." He gave my shoulder another playful push before getting in himself. He had a look on his face that said he was trying to resist the urge to push me right into the water. Slytherin shit, i thought smiling at him. I hate that he can make me smile like an idiot. Then again he was always grinning himself.

"Who are you that you get all of this as a student?" It was unheard of. We pushed off and began a steady drift away from the castle. A ghost flame lit itself within a lantern at the helm. We really didnt need it. The light from the full moon was so bright that the entire surface of the lake was sparkling.

"I got permission from the headmistress at your fathers recommendation. They both felt my work merited it. Also, potions keeps me from studying... Other less savory branches of magic."

"Haha like what?" He looked sad all of a sudden. Either that or ashamed.

"I... I'm sort of an expert at the dark arts as well. Dont misunderstand, i could never practice anything cruel... There is a lot of magic that falls under the category of the dark arts that isnt actually evil..."

I couldnt believe my ears, my curiosity and excitement turned to ash in my mouth.

"Like what?!" I snapped, wishing i could get off the boat the moment he'd spoken. Unfortunately we were already in the middle of the black lake. I backed up as far as i could from him. "Killing and torturing people?" He looked very hurt, Al obviously regretted having told me.

"Fuck you. I said nothing of the sort. Gryffindors are all the same, they see everything in black and white, too proud to admit the myriad of different greys in between. I like understanding the way magic works, the way _**all**_ magic works. How can one ignore an entire branch of magic? I dont practice anything that would purposefully harm another human being. I thought you were different... I thought..."

He looked very sad in that moment and i realized anyone that was this ashamed of practicing something must fully understand why. And besides... No dark wizard could seem so... Contrite, or look so outrageously...

I could at least see how far this madness went.

"Im sorry for that... I just was surprised. Harry Potters own son, a dark wizard... It sounded strange. I think i understand now why the other Slytherins are so frightened by you."

"Im not a dark wizard, i just study dark magic, theres a difference."

"Come to think of it. Theres an extreme irony in you failing DADA if you know so much about the Dark Arts."

"I can defend against the darkness in my own ways. Just like i can make potions in my own ways."

"So my little dark wizard, whats the worst thing youve done?" I asked curiously. He looked at me skeptically then, before shaking his head at my silliness. A sense of levity returned momentarily, if only momentarily. This little boy could hardly have done anything that outrageous.

"_**Your**_ little dark wizard?"

"Youre being evasive, tell me."

"I dont want to talk about it."

"Tell me or im jumping off this boat. "

"Jump off the boat, youre the one that will fail potions, not me."

The answer was so suspicious that my brain started to whirl again, thinking of all that he might be practicing in the dark. I didnt really want to be stuck on this tiny little boat now that i knew his secret. His angelic face only made the revelation stranger. I wanted to know how far this all went.

"Tell me or im pulling you over the side with me."

"If you promise to shut up about this... Then fine. The worst thing i did, i did to correct the second worst. It was a mistake, an accident. I wanted two ingredients for some potions... A basilisk eye and basilisk venom."

My heart stopped in my chest when i realized where he was going with this.

"So you hatched a basilisk?!" I yelled angrily.

He leapt at me, clasping his hand over my mouth. His launch and landing had nearly tipped us over.

"Not so loud, sound carries over the waters. I told you i corrected my mistake." I bit his hand knowing that he would remove it. When he pulled it away i pushed him backwards, pinning his arms at his sides.

"Youre mad. Why would you hatch a basilisk? Both of your parents were nearly killed by one. How could you be so reckless? How could you have so little regard for the safety of everyone around you?"

He looked terrified by my reaction. His big green eyes were staring up at me in utter confusion and anguish.

"I... I... I never should have told you. I knew i was going to do something stupid and make you hate me."

I jerked my head back in shock. I felt wretched as he said the words. This was just a little kid. He was James little brother. No wonder he spends so much time on his own. I...

"Im sorry Al..."

"Get off me! I am tired of people judging me. My own brother thinks I'm a freak. I should never have agreed to teach you. If it weren't for your father i wouldn't have."

At that his skin started to dissolve into a sea of crimson red sand. His hands broke apart in mine, crumbling away into the wind. I turned around and saw him sitting on the other end of the boat with his wand drawn at me. His nose was bleeding. At that the boat collided with the shore at the other end of the lake where the tall trees of the forbidden forest cast their immense shadows over everything. I had never heard of a spell like the one he had just performed.

"Al how did you do that? It was amazing." He looked surprised by my praise. He had already stood up to disembark.

"More dark magic, now get out. You can walk back to the castle." He stepped off the boat so that i could walk passed him. I couldn't believe he was crying. I stopped to contemplate what id said. I shouldn't have jumped... It made me feel awful to watch the tears roll down his face. I still didnt approve of what hed done... But my reaction had been inappropriate all the same.

"Im sorry Al. I shouldn't have yelled at you. You didn't need to tell me any of that. I realize neither the headmistress nor our parents would let you stay at Hogwarts had you meant anyone harm. I shouldn't judge someone who i know almost nothing about."

"You're lying! You just don't want to fail potions! You want to trick me into teaching you then you'll simply leave like everyone else. Well i've had enough!"

I couldn't believe how distrusting he was. It was beyond sad to hear such suspicions in someone so young.

I stepped off the boat, stopping to my right to face him.

"Anyone who feels this badly about something they've done can't be evil. I believe you Al and I'm sorry. Just please don't cry anymore. It doesn't suit you." I whispered, gently wiping the tears away from his eyes.

"I am most certainly not crying! And if you... sniff... Repeat this to anyone, i will murder you in your sleep. Draco's son or not." There, that sounded more like the Albus i knew. I heard a branch snap and Albus spun around without pause.

"Don't you dare hurt him Lilith! Scorpius is a friend!" I didn't have a clue who he was speaking to. I had barely time to react to what happened next.

"My apologiesssss albussss, here i thought you musssst finally be bringing me a human to tasssste." Hissed a strange voice. A moment later a large blue snake descended languorously from the trees. I marveled at the creature before fear overtook my wonder. It was unlike anything i had ever seen. Its eyes were bright gold, like molten metal. The scales that were visible were varying shades of sapphire, indigo, and aquamarine. What was so unusual was that it had blood red feathers in a crest around its head and along the ridge of its spine. I froze when it uncurled a massive set of wings from its sides.

"What on earth is that?"

"Well..."

"Al."

"A chimeric creature. born from the fusion of a Phoenix and a Basilisk. I couldn't bring myself to kill Lilith when she was born... but i knew she would be too dangerous to control... So i tried to make it so that she wouldn't be nearly as deadly." Albus offered scratching the underside of the creatures jaw.

"Ironically i am now even more dangeroussss."

"Oh be quiet you silly serpent. The last thing we want to do is scare this one"

"Sssssilly sssserpent?" It repeated distastefully, ruffling its jewel like feathers contemptuously.

"You created it? And your pet... Can speak?"

"Yesss, a trait Albussss passsssed to me through hissss sssspellsss. But i might be sssslightly too busy eating you to sssspeak much more, that is if you call me a pet again. I am hissss Friend, not hissss pet."

"Im not the first to create one" Albus added casually, continuing to caress the strange creature. "the Aztecs made one they named Quetzalcoatl, making her their god. They worshipped her for centuries as she grew larger than the heavens. They call the species the Awanyu. They are smarter even than sphinxes or goblins."

My head was spinning.

"You still forgive me now? I had to use my own blood to combine the two creatures, which is why we are so connected. Fawkes volunteered himself... Lilith should keep us safe in the forest. That is if you decide you still want me as your teacher."

"How can you be real? You look like an angel yet you've performed dark magic years beyond what normal people can even fathom."

Albus blushed at the comment. I had not exactly meant it as a compliment. How could he have ever learned so much in secret? Where could he acquire knowledge that guarded?

"Does anyone else know about her?" I was concerned for the students. Chiefly among them James and myself.

"Of course! Im not Hagrid, hiding a bunch of dangerous creatures in every hole and under every rock, without approval. The Headmistress knows as does your father as does the minister for the preservation of magical wildlife. A few others may know of her as well." I thought about that for a moment.

"Works for me. Nice to... Erm... Meet you Lilith. You truly are... spectacular." I had decided to show it every curtesy. He had said smarter than Sphinxes, no benefit to being rude...

"I like this one Albus... He's polite... And very handsome." She offered staring at me. Her eyes shifted red and i nearly leapt backwards.

"What on earth?"

"Lilith has twelve lids that filter out the magic from her eyes. Depending on which ones are open she could either turn you to stone, incinerate you-"

"-Or other more sssecret things that we ssshould not be telling ssstrangers" lilith finished for Albus.

This reminded me too much of the situation between Voldemort and Nagini. What on earth was this kid?

"Any ssssecretsssss we ssssshould know about you then? To even the score?" The serpent asked, fixing her brilliant eyes on me again. They seemed to glow in a mesmerizing display of crimson. I shifted towards Al as he stared. They both wanted to know.

"Yes, but good luck ferreting them out. I dont intend to share them with either of you just yet. Im not sure that would be the wisest thing ive ever done."

"I love ferretsssss. They are beyond delicioussss. Maybe thissss little ferret will taste better than the ssseecrets he hides inside."

"Oh shut up long one. Idle threats are for liars and sycophants."

"And madnessss is for monkeysss and productsss of incesssst, both of which sshould never presssume to chasssstise me."

"Oh bugger off you overgrown lizard." al said with a smile as he playfully knocked Lilith out of her tree. There was a moment of panic on liliths face that seemed almost human as she tumbled rope like from the branches.

"That wasnt very nissssse." She hissed when she managed to recover, her tongue flickering in and out at Albus. She shot open another set of eyelids which turned her orbs the same emerald green as the idiots.

"When have you ever known me to be nice?" Al asked smiling that beautiful smile of his.

This was where he belonged. Amidst the shadows and the trees. This was the real Albus Potter. How many had ever gotten to see this side of him?

He stopped when he realized i was staring.

"What?" He queried.

"I... Was wondering if James knows anything about all this. I was wondering if anybody does. This side of you i mean."

The expression on his face was a mix of confusion and bewilderment.

"I thought you were still worried about my dark magic..."

"No, not as much as before. Or perhaps more so. Right now im merely stunned by you. I just cant believe you never even realized that you stopped crying."

He blushed, moving to feel his dry cheeks. He is beyond strange.

"I told you never to repeat that. Nobody would ever believe you anyway. They'd think you'd gone daft." He had that right at least.

"So you'll still teach me?"

"Yes, on the condition that you don't jump to conclusion anymore. At least let me explain myself. Deal?"

"Of course. If my father trusts you, i guess i can learn to trust you too."


	5. Exploring the Night

"Lilith, do you think I might have some time with Scorpius? There is much i have to teach him and i'm afraid you'll only unnerve the idiot. Gryffindors are such babies you know. They're like little kittens, i'm worried he'll wet himself if you stick around." Al turned his head slightly to smirk at me like a Slytherin snake.

I couldn't help but scoff at that.

"Are you ssssure it issssn't sssso you can have the handsssssome one all to yourself?"

For a moment as the light of the moon slipped through the canopy of leaves i thought i saw him blush. I didn't know what to make of the question itself.

"Actually yes. If i kill him and decide to eat his corpse as a snack i don't want to have to share him with you." The two of them laughed maniacally at Al's joke, which did nothing to assuage my apprehensions of spending the night with him in one of the most dangerous places on earth. "Now go on you silly creature we'll be fine without you."

"Albussss you ssshould be careful tonight. Sssomething has frightened the achromantulae, they have fled like mere insssectsss sscurying from the ssscourge of whatever huntss them. If I end up too far during my own hunt, I may not make it back in time to ssssave you."

"Don't worry Lilith, I have this fool here to protect me." they both shared another laugh before the awanyu unfurled it's massive glimmering wings to fly off. Before it did Al leaned in close to place his forehead against the creatures, closing his eyes while letting the snake brush gently against his face. The boy smiled as he watched his creation fly off into the pale night. It was eerie, how different Al looked when he smiled. He looked so brilliantly happy. "So are you ready Scor? There is a lot for me to teach you and the longer we stay out the more exhausted you'll be tomorrow."

I merely stared at him, observing his movements. After a moment of eye contact he looked away using his hand to shyly brush his hair behind his ear.

"What? Have I got something on my face?"

"No, nothing, I just was thinking how very different you are from James. You're unlike anyone I've ever met." he blushed for a moment before recovering. It was strange how unnerved he became by my simple observations. This Slytherin who inspired such fear in his housemates... seemed utterly powerless now. I really don't know how he had ever found the courage to snap and argue all the time. "Lilith... Is pretty spectacular too. I can't believe you managed to create an Awanyu on your own."

"As i said... it was the only thing I could think to do to correct my mistake. I knew when I couldn't bring myself to kill her in her original form that one day she might hurt someone. At least like this everyone is safe. Well... At least relatively safe anyway. Come I'm going to show you how to locate and collect some rare ingredients and explain their usefulness in potions. So you had better keep up."

We walked for a while amongst the twisted trees and their gnarled roots, slipping between branches shaped like claws, lined each with thorns as sharp as razors. It would seem beyond sinister a place to any normal visitor, but as i watched Albus navigate his environment with effortless grace I began to see the forest as he did. He pointed out bloodfur fungi colonies amidst camouflaged surroundings, collected spores from the infandous irises by merely tickling its slippery tendrils, avoided leaping lamphids with ease and alacrity. There was an eagerness to his explanations that enraptured me from start to finish. I listened intently to his voice as the hours slipped by. I became so distracted by the lesson in fact that i missed a patch of concealed plant matter that I recognized too late to be melodious noxiferae. I watched in horror as my foot stubbed violently against the main pod.

"Scor! Watch out!" He shot irritated, jumping in front of a whiplike vine that would have otherwise decapitated me. He had caught the blade-like appendage with his gloved hand, cursing angrily as it rent through the leather and metal ringlets. I slashed through the tangling thing with a quick wave of my wand before it could do more harm, but the damage had already been done. I tried to pull his hand into the light to better assess his injury but he merely hissed, clutching the wounded limb close to cradle it against his body. "You idiot, why didn't you watch where you were going." There were tears in his eyes again as the blood dripped thick and hot from the gash. He might have lost his hand protecting me.

"I'm so sorry Al... I was distracted by the lesson... I..."

"You're an imbecile you know that? That thing would have sliced off your head had i not saved you." The look he gave me was more animal than human. I kept trying to pry his hand away to examine it but he refused to budge. "Of all the idiotic things you could have done..."

"I'm sorry... just... let me see the blasted thing." I shot agitated, extending my hand towards his. He finally relented, handing me the gory mess with a pained wince. I was shocked at how much damage the noxiferae blade had done to the enchanted glove. The metal was bent ragged, dissolving as though it had been dipped in acid. His hand looked even worse. I thought quickly of an inventive charm that i'd come up with alongside Professor Flitwick and cast the spell with barely an audible whisper. No sooner had the word rolled off my tongue and past my lips than the material began unwinding itself like a spool of thread. When Albus was free of the glove he tried to pull his hand away again, I had to physically catch his wrist to keep his hand in the light. He cursed again in pain as the blood dripped down his arm.

"This is a dark wound you won't be able to heal it. I know black magic that will counter this I've you'd just release me." he shot annoyed. I merely ignored him, continuing to contemplate my options. I decided to try another difficult charm of my own design. It would undoubtedly work if I managed to perform it properly. I whispered the words to myself, going through the complicated wand movements beforehand in my mind. It was an absurdly complex spell. "See, I told you it wasn't going to... work... what on earth..." he shot, pausing as the blood on his arm crawled slowly back into the gash, sealing itself in place.

"You were saying snake?" I shot, impressed with myself for the accomplishment. The wound was still sore and throbbing in the light but it had closed itself and no longer bubbled or boiled. He eyed me curiously, turning his attention back and forth from his hand to me. Finally he flung his arm elegantly at an angle so that his robed sleeve would fall to cover his injured appendage.

"Alright... Admittedly that was quite good... I'm mildly impressed..."

"Thank you..." I offered sincerely. He rolled his eyes thinking my thanks had been for the praise. "For saving me." I clarified, motioning towards the severed tentacle. He blushed slightly at the mention of it.

"Oh... Well... If you died out here your father would never forgive me. They would probably accuse me of doing it on purpose. I was merely protecting myself."

"Yeah sure, whatever you say. You're just afraid people might find out you are kinder than you pretend to be."

He huffed at that.

"You want to continue learning from me? Then don't bring it up again." he offered moving off into the forest. I followed him silently for a moment before he continued, pointing out rare plant ingredients and explaining various brewing techniques. This time i let him lead.

The forest... this place... seemed to bend before him, his will molding the foliage to suit his need. When we arrived at a small clearing with a single flower at its center, he burst out laughing, thanking merlin for our dumb luck.

"Do you know what this is Scor?" he asked excitedly, raising up his wounded hand. He suddenly closed his fist, forcing his nails sharply back into the gash. He flinched as he squeezed the fresh blood over the flower. I groaned to myself, thinking how hard it had been to heal the dark injury. At least it would close again on its own this time. What had me more perplexed was his suggestion.

"There's no way we found one of them. I simply refuse to believe it." The moment the blood touched the flower the entire clearing lit up as the vein like structures began to glow silver.

"Lunar Lotus. Or _Aurora argentine lunarius._ It is by far one of the rarest ingredients on the planet." Albus offered leaning down to collect the flower and place it in an unusual container. "I've always wanted to find one of these. I guess you're my lucky charm." He turned to stare at me then, smiling. I was smiling too. There was something remarkably fun about James's little brother. He was strange and smart but funny and charming too. It was odd that I had never before taken the time to talk to him for longer than a sentence. Our exchanges had been limited almost entirely to perfunctory courtesies such as: 'Would you pass the salt?' or 'Fine thank you. And yourself?'

I had never thought for a moment that there might be such depth to the adorable little boy in the next door bedroom. I used to hate him... actual hate and resentment... and yet... as I watched him smile, i thought there was nothing more enjoyable than this in the entire world. We might actually be friends. At the very least my potions lessons won't be as boring as I had initially believed they would be.

All of a sudden there came a distant rumble, cutting through my thoughts like lightning. I ran towards Al before he knew what was happening, grabbing him and pulling him into the bushes. He hadn't noticed it yet.

The sound had started out merely as a faint buzzing, but as it came closer the noise became louder and the vibrations started to shake the trees and the ground.

"Lilith said the achromantulae were fleeing something. Scor! We have to go!"

"Al, they'll be on us any second. We can't outrun them. Our only option is to stay behind something and hope they are more afraid of what is chasing them than they are hungry enough to eat two humans should they spot us."

"Scorpius! **_I_** am more worried about what's chasing them! We HAVE to LEAVE!" His statement had been made in vain. Already i spotted rustling trees and bushes, could hear the sound of hundreds of legs scurrying frantically. There came first spiders the size of cats, barreling through heedlessly of their environment. Next came spiders the size of chairs, leaping and fighting each other for a position closer towards the head of the column. It all happened so fast that it seemed but a blur. A car sized creature had slammed into the tree in front of us, tipping it over like an empty bottle. Al and I dove to either side in an attempt to escape, now ironically exposed to the stampede. I spotted then a monster of an animal. An eight legged creature as large as a tank, smashing through everything in its path.

"Kiilll the Hummaans!" It screeched to its smaller brethren. "Kill them both and let their corpses slow the creatures advance!" No sooner had the matriarch spoken than dozens of smaller spiders stalled themselves and turned to face us. Albus was reputedly terrible at defense against the dark arts... I wasn't sure i could protect us both from this many. At least the enormous matriarch had not stopped her charge to deal with us herself.

In a split second albus had a flame colored vial out and unstoppered, drinking it down with such furious haste that i thought he might choke. Before I could decide which target to shoot first Albus leapt high into the air and breathed flame in a circle around us. When he landed he shoved his wand into my free hand and turned back to throw potions at the oncoming assailants. I repelled the first attackers with minor curses and stunning spells before their numbers caused me to resort to detonation charms. I had never trained to use two wands before but it somehow seemed only natural. I don't know how Al knew i was ambidextrous but his quick thinking had probably saved me.

The slytherin meanwhile was making due without his wand, a feat that had me stunned beyond words. He cast spells wandlessly here and there but relied heavily on the potions he'd thought to pack. Some vials froze the spiders solid allowing him to blast them into icy shards. Others foamed up into a greenish ooze that trapped the spiders where they stood. Left and right the arachnids fell as he directed the flames to their targets. Unfortunately the more we killed the more of the stampede stopped to help their brethren. I was about to be overrun when Albus came up behind me putting his hand over my nose and mouth. He threw a purple black vial down at our feet which exploded into a fuliginous black cloud of smoke and ash. A few seconds went by and I started to choke, I began struggling for air, but al merely fought as hard as he could to keep purchase on my mouth. I realized soon enough that the spiders were petrifying, turning to stone and crumbling apart. After a moment, when i thought i could bare it no longer, the last of those horrid monsters had all died and Al waved his hand with frantic intensity to dissipate the fumes. We both collapsed on the ground in heaving fits, gasping for air. I smiled at Al for half a moment, my relief and pride at besting the horde was evident. What ripped the smile from my face was the creeping crawl of the frost that followed in the wake of the stampede. A frigid icy mist wafting over every surface, turning the landscape solid. If i had known the evil that pursued the creatures I never would have hid... I would have run. I would have run until my limbs could carry me no more... I never in all my life forgave myself for the price my decision had cost Albus. It was a horror that haunted me for decades...

"A Reaper..." I whispered, my eyes bulging in fear.


	6. Darkness Incarnate

It began as a rolling whisper, dark and malevolent. A sort of soft chill stillness that crept over the land like a misty shadow, consuming everything in its path. Fog and frost followed wraithlike in suit. I watched slowly, unable to move as ice spread over the surface of the forest. Our very breath turned solid as the warmth of our flesh was sapped and drained away. I was terrified both by the effect of the magic and by the realization of what was actually coming for us. There were few words to describe how malevolent a creature it was. Records of them were even rarer than the odd sightings. All that we really knew about their species was that they brought death and decay with them wherever they went.

I watched as Al began to shiver. Even he was beginning to be affected by it.

Soon the malignant cold was accompanied by a harrowing howl. A soft draining noise had come to life that sapped the energy from my spirit and the clarity from my mind. It was like an eerie wind, calling out, wailing for things long ago lost to the void. My thoughts began to jumble and haze as it came ever nearer. I found I couldn't concentrate long enough on a single thought to decide what I should do. It was an utterly paralyzing sensation. I can't... I don't know... what to do... It's coming... for us... but i can't... move... I...

Before i knew what was happening Al grabbed me with a hard jerk, quickly turning me towards him. My sensory perceptions were blurring and blending into distorted tapestries of incoherent nonsense. There was something seriously wrong with my brain.

The boy grabbed my face, forcing me to look directly into his eyes as he spoke. I had trouble processing what he wanted from me. Somehow his emerald green irises caught and held my attention. They were oddly hypnotic for human eyes... What was he doing?

"Scorpius Malfoy, if you want to live, you must do exactly as I say. Do you understand?" Al asked as his words echoed and danced. I nodded slowly, registering his intent as his features blurred before me. I couldn't quite comprehend what was happening. I thought of my twin sister's death. Couldn't get her out of my mind. Limstella. I could see her horrified expression as she fell off the cliff. We were only six years old. Why was I remembering that now? He snapped his fingers in front of me, bringing my focus back to him.

"A Reaper's weapons are it's victims' fear, sadness and virtue. It will seek to corrupt your mind. You and I are going to sit down quite calmly and close our eyes. No matter what you think you hear, no matter what your thoughts tell you, you must not under any circumstances open them again. I'm going to cast a very complicated and very subtle series of spells, but i cannot get us through this if you do anything remotely stupid. Do not run, do not move." he shot carefully. He paused then as though struck by something. "Oh and no ordinary patronus will work on it, so do not go playing at junior auror hero, got it? And for Merlin's beard DO NOT OPEN YOUR EYES UNTIL I TELL YOU TO. Understand me?" He asked.

I didn't really. It seemed a silly idea. Sitting down and closing our eyes like hippies in a field of flowers, hoping that a Reaper, a lord of dementors, would simply leave us happily alone. It was going to rip out our entrails and likely hang us with them. How on earth was this the right course of action? Whether or not I agreed I was hopelessly incapable of formulating a better plan. I merely blinked.

Although i didn't quite understand how I felt compelled to trust him, I realized quickly though that i had obeyed his orders. We were suddenly seated and I was closing my eyes as instructed. "I'm going to be right here with you this whole time Scor, so don't worry and DON'T be afraid. I swear we will survive this. Lilith is already on her way."

"She won't make it in time!" I spat beginning to panic as my eyes shot back open. The waves of fear were getting closer and stronger.

"Scor... The more you're afraid, the more likely it will kill us. Just let me handle it."

A young little angel fighting a demonic Reaper. It seemed hilarious until the humor turned to ash in my mouth. It wasn't funny. We were going to die.

He smiled at me sweetly and shut his lids, trusting me to do the same. It somehow brought me a small measure of comfort that gave me the strength to do as instructed.

As soon as my lids had shut as well, the noise i had been hearing warped completely. Immediately the howl ceased, to be replaced by utter silence. That it seemed lasted for only a moment. A branch cracked and an owl hooted, breaking the stillness as it took off into the night.

As the cold grew less and less bearable I began to sense an ominous presence nearby. Like a beast stalking its prey, some-THING circled, projecting its hunger and malice outwards to fill my senses. I almost succumbed then to the sheer panic inducing malaise it exuded. I wanted with every fiber of my being to run, to bolt and hide. I almost fled then and there until i felt a strange tickling sensation keeping me in place. There followed with the odd feeling, a warmth, like the gentle embrace of a mother, or the longing kiss of a lover. Smells chased after the odd pleasantness... like toffee and the pine scent of christmas. I could feel a tender glow reaching out probingly as a small light danced beyond my lids. I smiled for a moment to myself wondering what it could be.

As if to counter the soothing sensations there came then a hoarse rasping noise... then violent sniffing around us. Horrifying grunts and squealing engulfed the clearing. Almost as soon as they appeared, the abyssal sounds dispersed to be replaced by a soft whistling song. It was light and lyrical. A musical melody that set my heart thrumming. It was peaceful...

Despite my numbed mental capacity I could still tell there was a battle raging between the dark energy the reaper discharged and whatever was controlling the glowing light. Was Al fighting the thing? Was he trying to trick it? A warm hand slipped softly into mine, giving me a reassuring squeeze. Maybe we were going to be alright after all. Al was brilliant. If anyone could save us he could. He's going to get us through this. I know it.

Just as that thought hit me, images flashed in my mind of Al being ripped to pieces, devoured as i sat helplessly like a fool with my eyes closed. The hand that had given me hope just moments before was wrenched away from me violently. I heard Al's unearthly screams for help and i snapped. It was like an animal being slaughtered. The ordeal was too much for me to handle. Al was just a kid, i couldn't let him die alone without trying to save him. I couldn't stand it.

"AL!" I yelled, bolting upright.

What I saw nearly shattered my mind. Al had been fine of course, he was sitting motionless in front of me as though he had simply been meditating. It was the Reaper who had sought to manipulate my sentimentality and protective Gryffindor instincts with witchcraft. The moment I screamed I had broken Al's concentration and the spell wavered. The bubble of energy that hid our emotions from the monster vanished with a pop. The creature descended on me then, seeking to consume my entire being. I couldn't tell if it was the creature or a combination of my every fear and subconscious pain that made it all seem so horrible.

My brain was being bombarded by gruesome images and sounds... it was like a storm a hundred fold more devastating than what i had experienced under the protection of Al's spell. Quite simply, I was being crushed beneath the weight of it.

As I fell finally to my knees in defeat, it began to remove its tattered cowl, preparing to show me its dread visage. I knew the second my sight fell upon its face i would be dead.

This must be a dream. It cannot be real. How could any of it be real?

This was the second time Al would save me tonight. In truth i would rather have died than be responsible for the price it had cost the kid to save me. The cute boy, my tutor, my best friend's little brother, the sad little child misunderstood and mistreated by everyone he had ever known... flung himself in front of me. There was a dark flash as rays of light shot blindingly from Al's emerald orbs, burning right into the creature's putrid face. He trembled violently as the spell consumed him while the horrific sight of the Reaper's face eroded his sanity.

I watched in horror as the monster erupted into sapphire blue flames recoiling in pain and anguish as Al's spell hit him. More terrifying to me was Al's reaction to his own magic, that or the sight of the Reaper. He fell screaming to the ground as acrid smoke plumed from where his eyes should have been. Dark Magic! He had used a dark spell to fight off the Reaper. I had to get to him! This is a dream. You are dreaming. Scorpius wake up!

I tried to rise, intending with all my might to go help him, but i couldn't. I collapsed into a pile of twisted parts. My senses were jumbled as equally as was my command over my body. I managed, like a voodoo puppet, to contort my limbs with difficulty into a slow torturous scramble that had me finally half hunched over the still shrieking Albus. I grabbed him attempting to calm him, but he merely continued to flail as he tore at his eyes. Think, think, think! Snap out of this now! Wake up! My insides were screaming in protest at the confusion.

"Aguamenti Ablutio" I cast, streaming purifying water into and around Al's face. The silver substance swirled and danced over the boy's soft skin and delicate tissue. There was a sizzling noise then as the burning stopped and for a brief moment i thought he would be alright.

Al however merely continued to scream in agony. I couldn't understand what was happening. Why wasn't it working?! I barely noticed that Lilith had descended from the sky to wrap herself around the weakened Reaper. I had no doubt she would destroy the creature for what it had done to Al.

My attention was wrenched away from the battle as I stared in shock at the image of Al writhing in pain.

I had to risk the injury to myself. This spell was dangerous if used incorrectly. This isn't real, this isn't real. This can't possibly be happening!

"Ataraxia Totalum" I screeched performing the wand motion in a hurry. It took a moment but finally the boy was still and his screams had died down to whimpers. It was all i could manage before my energy failed. I fell exhaustedly next to albus as the darkness filled in my vision.

Much of what happened next remains to this day a blur to me. I remember wings and flying... panicked voices and a soft bed. My father barking orders. He seemed worried. It was all too much. It must have been a dream. Awanyu, _Aurora argentine lunarius, _Achromantulae and also a Reaper. It was too much to have been real. Not all in one night... Al... I must be dreaming...

"Poppy, will they be alright?"

"Your son's quick thinking most likely saved Albus's life... from what manner of spell I don't know. However..."

"However...?"

"I managed to heal the structure of his eyes so he won't need prosthetic fake ones... But his vision is gone. Albus Potter will never see again."

Its not real... It's not real... This is a dream. I cannot be responsible for this!


	7. Blind

Albus POV

"Shes sahashi sesh es"

"Blind? What are you talking about? I'm not blind."

I felt panic well up inside me as the hissing continued to echo. Dark spells and potions theory raced through my mind faster than I could process. Then... memories of a horrifying creature. Jaws snapping, hooked tentacles, venomous fangs... My head hurt so badly that I didn't know what to do. Lilith, where are you?

"hesh sarash sslia siss hrish" the unknown creature whispered.

"The price? Who did I save? What is happening..."

"Al... You're awake. You there, elf! Get Madame Pomfrey immediately!" another voice yelled, wholly unlike the first. Everything was so dark, I couldn't tell what was happening. There was more shouting but I couldn't decipher what was being said.

"My head hurts so badly." I offered sorely, struggling to sit up. I groaned a second time as blood rushed through my head.

"I'm so sorry Al! Please I'm so sorry." a boy offered, pulling me tightly into a hug. I didn't understand what was even happening to me. Blue eyes flashed then within my fractured consciousness. A very familiar set of eyes. Eyes I had watched secretly for a very long time. It hit me then whose arms these were.

"Scorpius? Is that you? Why are these bandages so tight? I can't see anything. What happened?"

I had difficulty comprehending the cacophony of memories and emotions that swarmed violently inside my head. There was too much clutter in my brain. My eyes were stinging and my whole being was pounding. Formulae... calculations... Too many things...

"Why don't we wait for your parents. They are on their way."

"My Parents? I figured we were in the hospital wing but... Was it really that bad? How did we even end up..." I paused as a collection of images flooded finally back to me. The forest... the achromantulae... the reaper... "You! You imbecile! I told you not to move! I told you not to look at it! What possessed you to ignore my instructions?" I yelled as Scorpius released me. There was something unnerving about being observed by him. At least without the ability to see him too.

"It showed me images of you getting tortured... I thought your spell had already failed and that it was going to kill you..."

I sighed heavily then, interrupting his explanation. I thought about how much he had risked by opening his eyes to try and save me. My cheeks grew red hot at what had been his obvious concern for my wellbeing. "Sentimental Lions... You are all so blasted insufferable. You risked yourself for my sake and look where we ended up. At least help me get these bandages off so I can see the damage for myself. I hurt everywhere."

When he failed to assist me I merely began unwrapping the material myself, working my fingers angrily at the the tape and cloth. I started to panic as more and more layers came off but no light broke through to brighten my vision. I was panting... my breath raw and ragged. It was as though i'd become unnaturally aware of every hair on my body standing fearfully at attention. I felt his hand grab mine tightly to stop me from removing the final piece of gauze. He fought me for a moment as I tried desperately to get at my eyes.

Horrible energy bathed the space all around me. I couldn't believe it, couldn't understand it. After another moment he pulled his hand back for me to continue. I could hear him sniffling softly from his position next to me. Such a strange sound to come from _him_ of all people.

"Al I... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." Scor whispered as the last of the cloth fell away. Blackness.

"I'm... I... I don't understand... I Can't see... Not anything... Not a shadow... Not a blur... I... This can't... be real."

Before I could even process my loss, I heard familiar voices echoing against the walls. My father and Mother arguing with Lily. They came into the room bombarding some unknown person for answers. I didn't know Poppy was with them until she offered to wait outside. It wasn't possible.

"Albus are you alright? Scorpius what happened?" dad asked frantically, making his way towards the bedside. "Al you look fine. Poppy said you were injured? I don't understand?" mom came over to me to kiss me softly on the cheek, examining me for any sign of injury. I couldn't stand for them to be near me right now. My life... Nothing would ever be the same again... I am diminished. Forever dimmed. It was too much for me to handle. My head still rang with memories of the Reaper.

Tears were already rolling down my face by the time James burst in screaming. "How could you take him into the forbidden forest on a night like that Al? You could have gotten Scorpius killed!"

"James..."

"You know that place better than anyone. There's no way you didn't do this on purpose. Were you trying to murder my best friend? Did you want some kind of sick twisted revenge for-"

There was a commotion as Scorpius bolted out of his seat. "Shut the fuck up James! He's blind ok!" Scorpius shot, cursing angrily at my brother. There was more movement and a shoving sound as somebody was pushed away from me. My eyes darted around instinctively trying to grasp what was happening. I wonder how long that reaction will take to fade...

The word 'Blind' had hit me like a brick to the face. I didn't want to hear it spoken aloud again.

I hated the way they felt about me. James's first impression was that I had tried to get Scor killed on purpose. Did they really think I was so evil? Even now? As I lay here crippled?

The room grew still and silent as my Parents realized what Poppy had failed to tell them. I heard my mom start to cry as she wiped my own tears away. What did I even do next.

"Al... I'm sorry. I didn't know. I was merely worried about Scorpius." James had actually sounded contrite, despite his reminder that he'd been more worried about his best friend than his little brother.

"James, stop talking. You aren't helping." Scorpius whispered softly.

"Looks like you have a pretty simple choice ahead of you snake. At least if you asked me." that was Lily this time. Her Slytherin abruptness was refreshing. Everyone around her began scolding her but her approach had been the right one. I needed to understand what was happening. Not be coddled like a boy. Despite that sentiment I couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

A small light weight person walked up to the bed to grab my arm. It was Lily again.

"You can stay here at Hogwarts and use some sad volunteer to help you hobble around like an even bigger freak than you were... or you can go to St. Mungos where they will teach you privately like some diseased and decrepit old man. I'm sure Aunt Mini would let you stay here if you wanted, although who would saddle themselves with you is beyond me."

"Lily! Don't talk like that! He's your brother. How can you be so cruel." Mom snapped in her outrage. Everybody was surprised when I chuckled at her words. I gripped her arm as a quiet thanks.

"I know I can't see but I'm ninety five percent certain you just rolled your eyes at mum."

She was always my amazing sister. We were as close as could be. As thick as thieves.

"Of course I did. They're all idiots. As usual nobody knows what to say."

I sniffed, wiping the tears from my face. How am I going to manage this alone?

I realized suddenly how thirsty I was and began feeling around for a corner table that might have a glass of something on it. Before I knew what had happened there was a tender tug on my sleeve and then the soft feel of a hand I didn't recognize. I somehow knew it was Scorpius when a cold glass of water was pressed gently into my grip. I lifted it to my mouth and drank heavily, letting the cool substance trickle past my lips and down my throat. When i had finished, i managed with some difficulty to give it back to the invisible hand.

"I... Don't know what to do... I don't want to be stuck in some hospital bed for the rest of my youth. Can I take the day to consider my options? How to proceed?"

My dad responded after a moment. He sounded shaken. "Take as long as you need. I think however that staying here at school will be too difficult to handle. For everyone involved."

Madame Pomfrey came back into the room and began speaking with my mum and dad about options and programs while Lily merely started arguing with James about his behavior.

I reached outward again for the hand that had offered me aid, tugging at it softly when i'd found purchase. I could feel the idiot's body shift downwards towards me. "I don't want to be here right now. Please get me out of this stuffy place. I need to breathe."

I managed quietly to get up with some minor assistance from the idiot, letting him lead me out a side door. I couldn't tell if we had slipped off secretly or if they'd all seen and just let us go. It was strange not knowing what was happening around me. I was one of the most observant students at school and now...

I cursed quietly to myself. Self pity was not at all a Slytherin quality. Get ahold of yourself Al.

As we walked I decided instead to focus on what i could actually sense. The warmth of the sun's rays when we walked past a window, the sound of distant laughter from students in the great Hall. The smell of the elves freshly baked pastries. It hit me strangely then as we walked that I'd overlooked the tactile. I started to blush suddenly at my stupidity. I had realized with a start that we had been holding hands the entire time. He'd been guiding me through the corridors with his delicate grip. I stopped abruptly as a strange sensation finally crept up on me.

"You're staring at me aren't you?"

"Yes." he offered sincerely.

"Stop it. I'm not some wounded puppy. I don't need you to pity me."

"Pity? Are you joking? Gratitude and guilt are all that I'm feeling. You saved my life twice last night. Both times were scenarios that resulted from my own stupidity. Look what it cost you... I just... Im so so sorry. If i'd only listened to you, you'd be fine."

I clicked my tongue angrily at his sentiment, turning away.

"I don't blame you for what happened. So don't feel guilty. You may be an imbecile but you thought you were trying to save me. We both survived. That is all you need concern yourself with."

There was a soft breeze and I realized we hadn't run into another living soul on this journey he was leading me on. He somehow knew I wanted to be alone and must have steered us away from any onlookers. Navigating the castle even with a guide wasn't as easy as I thought it might be. I had to respond to his subtle queues and minute gestures. Several times I'd stubbed my toe and once I nearly tripped on some stairs. I cursed angrily each time I made a mistake.

"How is this going to work?" I spat harshly. "Nobody is going to offer to babysit me for any period of time. No matter how many extra credit points they might stand to gain. I'm a mess. I won't be able to read or write or learn properly."

As soon as I began to despair he distracted me with an annoying chuckle. How did he find this funny?

"What is so hilarious about any of this you stupid lion?

"Of course you thought I was staring at you out of pity." I simply looked outwards in the direction of his voice, confused by the statement. I waited impatiently for him to elaborate.

"It takes you going blind to actually notice somebody staring at you. Everybody in school has stared at you for years without you ever having noticed before and I guarantee you it isn't because you're a freak."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked as the heat rose to my cheeks again. Lily told me all the time that it was weird. I was the most attractive boy in school and yet the only one who was always alone. That's what she used to say anyway.

"That's why I was staring!" he chuckled again. I was getting agitated. "For a sneaky snarky Slytherin you do blush like a shy little girl." my eyes went wide at the statement. If I could have seen him I would have hexed off his face. As it was my cheeks continued to sting warmly.

"I am not amused."

I felt his other hand come up and grab mine.

"No matter what you say Al... This is my fault. If you stay at Hogwarts there's no way I'm not going to be the one looking after you. You know that right? I won't let anybody else take on this responsibility. Not after what you did for me. It wouldn't be right."

I felt a sort of somber hope flood through me then, despite my infirmity.

"I can't saddle you with a crippled misfit. Especially not when you are already failing potions. I'll figure something else out. I don't think I could take staying at Hogwarts like this anyway. The Slytherins would no doubt try to murder me and everyone else will just look at me like some sad sob story."

"I think we'll be able to manage somehow. You can continue to tutor me at potions so I can keep up my marks and in return I will help you get around and study. I'll read you the material and take notes for you. I might even be able to figure out a charm or two to make life a bit easier for the both of us. Besides... i didn't take you for somebody who cared much what others might be thinking."

"I do care... I just don't show it..."

"Well... you'll have me... and my eternal gratitude."

"I... don't know... Not three days ago we had hardly spoken five words to each other. Now you're to be my nurse? Besides I know you don't even really like me. You're just doing this out of some misguided Gryffindor sense of duty. How are we going to manage?"

"I'll be able to manage, don't worry. And I like you just fine Al."

"You've had much experience taking care of the disabled? Young Master Malfoy?"

"You won't be disabled long. You'll concoct a potion to cure yourself soon, i'm sure of it."

Another gust of wind blew past, running its way through my hair and clothing. The rich smell of petrichor clung wetly to the air. It was rather a beautiful smell. One that I surprisingly never really had taken the time to contemplate or appreciate. I thought about what he'd said and the possibility that I might one day find a cure for this dark wound. I'd almost forgotten how close I was to a major potions breakthrough. His simple conviction had hit me like a smack to the face. He trusted my ability to the point of certainty... certainty that I was skilled and talented enough to cure blindness... either he was an idiot or he trusted me completely. Well... I did just save his life...

"Where are we anyway? I can tell we're on top of one of the castles towers." I asked... temporarily shelving the discussion until I could decide what I wanted. It would be too much to handle hobbling around the school, not being able to see the pitying onlookers, yet sensing them regardless. Besides... how could I do this to Scorpius. He'd been kind to me after the all of it. Maybe St. Mungo's would be best.

"We're atop the Astronomy tower. I thought of something that might persuade you to stay. A sort of trust building exercise that we use in quidditch practice. I figured we might as well test it out."

I squinted curiously at him then, despite not being able to see. It was an involuntary response that my skepticism had evoked. I didn't like the tone of excitement in his voice. My hand ran along the railing then until it reached the curve that signaled its end. The astronomy tower had a section of open balcony where professors or students could land or take off from. Why had he brought me to it of all places?

"What kind of _exercise_?" I asked doubtfully.

"Just trust me Snake."

Before he'd gotten the brief sentence past his lips, I felt the ground give way violently beneath me. He'd actually pulled me off the balcony with him, sending us tumbling towards the ground.

Shock and fear jolted through me as my heart exploded into my chest. After a moment of weightlessness I felt us rocketing off as fast as his broom could accelerate.

"You're fucking mental! What's wrong with you?" I bellowed angrily at him, not able to control my anger. He merely howled like a mad wolf, calling out ecstatically from his position behind me. I could sense the air getting thinner as he forced us into a steep climb. I continued my wrathful ranting but realized soon enough that I was having no effect. All my complaints and curses had elicited from the bastard was more mad laughter as he held me tighter than a vice. A moment after my ears popped I could tell he was leveling off our ascent. Finally, with a jerking motion he stalled us, giving me a moment's reprieve to find the breath and will to yell more profanity at him. "Are you completely daft?!"

"Ok, so for this next part I'm going to need you to let go of the broom." He yelled loudly over the wind. I'd have hit him if I weren't so terrified of falling off into the nothingness. My brain was attempting madly to fill in the black void that my blindness had left me with. In fairness It was no longer a void. I could picture dark waves of wind and sound enveloping me. It was like a strange painting in my minds eye, a sort of storm of imaginary sensations billowing wildly around the light of my consciousness.

"You want me to what?" I queried, too stunned to do much of anything else. He leaned in then and I could feel his soft hair tickling the back of my neck as he whispered in my ear.

"I promise i'll catch you. I've done this loads of times before. Just trust me. They have the team do this daily." I could barely process any of my emotions aside from the overwhelming sense of fear. Yet somehow, the way he'd spoken to me had caused my hands to involuntarily begin loosening their grip on the wooden shaft of the broom. I couldn't fathom how he'd gotten me to agree to this mad plan. There was something about Scorpius Malfoy... Something that made me believe I could trust him.

When I'd fully pried my fingers off, I slowly felt his arm pull away. He was leaving me completely without any support.

"Left, or right?" He asked curiously as he waited for the inevitable. My heart was beating out of control at the idea.

"I'm not going to be able to convince you to simply take me back to the ground, am I?"

"Not before we get through this part no. Just remember to extend all of you limbs outwards when you decide to let go."

"You really think this is an acceptable response to you blinding me? Trying to throw me off a broom that I can only imagine is a thousand feet off the ground!"

"Acceptable... maybe not. Necessary... definitely."

I sighed angrily at the statement. He'd been so nice up until now... Was this his way of teasing me?

"Know that if I survive... I'm going to kill you." I offered solemnly as I let myself slide sideways into the abyss.

I tumbled for a moment through the emptiness, not knowing which was up or down or even how far above the earth I was falling. The tempest of sensations and emotions had literally been too overwhelming to absorb all at once. It took me a moment of thought numbingly intense heart beating before my brain kicked in and I managed to shoot my limbs outwards to form an X. Wrapped in silky blankets of air I glided, descending like a falling star through the sky, feeling the powerful currents buffet and surround me.

I inhaled the smell of crisp Scottish countryside, with its soft notes of heather and peat... I could see in my memories all the secret trails i'd explored as a child. All the beautiful streams and hidden glades. I felt then the sun's powerful rays as they warmed my whole being like a delicate embrace. I realized after a moment of serenity that the embrace had been a pair of arms that had wrapped themselves protectively around my waist. I had gently alighted back onto the length of the broom without even realizing it.

My heart was still pounding erratically... but it was no longer from fear. Falling like that had done something inexplicable to me. I could feel his arms around me, keeping me safely on the broom. I could hear both of our lungs, steadily pulling in air. Then the exhalation. We flew normally for another minute before slowing down. Suddenly I felt him dismount his broom, extending his hand to help me off.

"You're absolutely nuts. I can't believe you did that to me! You could have asked me first!" I shouted angrily. My face felt redder than ever.

"You'd have said no." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Of course I would have!"

"Did you enjoy yourself?" He'd completely ignored my outrage.

"Yes, but that isn't the point ..." I paused so abruptly that I nearly swallowed my own tongue. I enjoyed myself. I had had fun. Despite my condition... I would not be relegated to a life of absence and dearth. If such a simple act could make me smile... then I might one day find happiness. There was hope.

I understood then what he'd really done for me, wanting to hug him for his kindness. If we couldn't cure me... at least I'd find ways to make my life tolerable.

"I quite think that that is exactly the point."

I blushed harder at that... cursing my own inability to keep my embarrassment in check. Something about not being able to see made me feel more than just physically vulnerable. I felt like without my piercing sight to deflect things... people could somehow now see through me... that he could see through me.

Despite my fear... I knew that I could trust him. I could at least give it a try. I reasoned anyway that I would need access to the potions equipment in the castle to come up with a cure anyway. It will take him at least six months to acquire the skills necessary to even assist me... at his level... even blind I could out brew him...

I sighed again at my predicament.

"We were supposed to go for a walk and instead you throw me off the astronomy tower... let's just agree never to mention this to anyone. Also... I think I've made a decision... about what i'd like to do. Could you take me back to my parents?"


	8. Utterly Broken

SPOV

We had gotten back to Al's apartment above the dungeons without too much more difficulty than we'd managed earlier this afternoon. Now that I knew where exactly he lived I had opted to bring us through the passage in Father's office as opposed to the Slytherin common rooms. I didn't want any of Al's housemates harassing him for his new found infirmity and thought it might give him some peace of mind.

"Thanks... who knows what they might have tried when they found out I was in this state." He offered when I opened his windows onto the lake to let in the cool air. I guess the smell and sounds of the water had alerted him to our location.

"Nobody will try anything with me around. Not that I doubt for a moment that most of Slytherin would still fear you regardless of the number of infirmities you happened to have."

"I'm not that scary." Al huffed, puffing his cheeks out in annoyance.

As I looked at his angelic face, I questioned for the second time how anyone had _ever_ found _him_ frightening at all. Such a wildly beautiful boy. I stood there, silently watching him for another minute.

He merely looked around emptily as though trying to determine where I was standing. It made me so sad to watch that I couldn't help but shift positions so he could hear me. I began moving around, opening and closing cabinets and drawers to get a feel for where he kept most of his belongings. I withdrew a fresh pair of underwear and some silk emerald pyjamas that had been hung in a large closet, folding them neatly on Al's bed so he could change. I led the disoriented boy to the wooden frame, sitting him down next to the clean clothes I'd set out. I carefully took his hand and guided it to his sleeping attire before heading towards the door.

"I'll be back in a minute to see if you need anything else before bed. I'm just going next door to see what my room looks like. I think the elves have already brought me my things but I might want to rearrange a bit." He merely nodded in the direction of my voice. I didn't mention that it would give us both a brief chance to process what was happening. This would be hard on both of us going forward. I had never imagined myself serving as a nurse in my sixth year at Hogwarts.

I noticed immediately upon entering the space that my room was considerably smaller than Al's, reminiscent more of a servants chamber than a proper guest suite. To be honest my quarters were farther from Al's than were convenient to properly look after him. I had had to walk through the kitchen and potions area, around the dinning table and small bookshelves, down a flight of stairs, and through a long curved stone corridor to get to it. The corridor had three doors, one that led to a private laundry where the Head of House and the Slytherin Prefect could presumably have their personal wash done. The second door led to a small untidy bathroom that was not in the least comparable to the one I'd used upstairs in the middle of my lesson with Al. It was however a relief to know I wouldn't have to trek all the way up an extra flight in the middle of the night to relieve myself. The third door, (when introduced to a not so insignificant amount of force), merely opened into a closet meant for miscellaneous wares and household objects. What had hit me was the quiet. Something in the design of this place was preventing even the most minute trace of sound from entering. I suspected rather grimly that this suite was designed to prevent the screams of the dungeons' inhabitants from traveling up to the gaolers rooms. I changed my own clothes quickly and bolted back upstairs, not wanting to leave Al alone for too long. I knocked on his door, waiting for a reply before entering. Only silence echoed back.

"Al? Can I come in?"

When he failed to answer a second time I merely pushed the door open to a sight that might have otherwise made me laugh. It was apparent though that Al was upset by it. The angelic brunet had his pants on backwards and had gotten himself stuck in his emerald nightshirt. He had managed to squeeze one arm through its sleeve and his head through the proper opening, but couldn't pull his other arm through to the sleeve. Now all of the buttons on his shirt were bunched together. He was struggling to reach the button closest to his neck. "You alright?" I asked, the humor evident in my tone of voice.

"Obviously not. I didn't want to have to deal with the fucking buttons so i tried slipping it on over my head. Those blasted elves always leave the top one done up. Just undo it and i'll be fine." He huffed in annoyance, his face getting red. I walked up to him and instead of attempting what he'd asked I merely pulled the shirt back off of him, opening it completely. I slid his arms through their respective sleeves and came back in front of him to redo the buttons. As my fingers worked the material I took the opportunity to stare. He seemed too well toned for somebody who hadn't played quiddich regularly.

"I can do up my own shirt." He tossed softly, turning his head away in mild irritation. He was red faced again. I actually found it quite endearing being able to elicit such a reaction from him. He had played at being rather stern during the years I'd known him, which made this side of his personality even more intriguing.

"Obviously not. Your pants are on backwards too as long as we're keeping track." I noted. "I'm going to get you a glass of water, i'll be right back." I could have just summoned the object and its contents from the kitchen without even having to move, but I figured I'd let him correct his mistake in relative privacy. I went to the refrigerator and took out some chilled water, paying particular attention to the bowl of sliced lemon wedges that sat immediately to its right. It was an odd habit for somebody as young as him to indulge in. I squeezed a slice into the glass before dropping the spent lemon in as well. By the time I had returned, Al had slipped off his pyjama bottoms to switch them the right way round. I merely deposited the cool water on his bedside table, watching the boy jolt slightly in surprise at the noise. As I watched him I noticed for the first time a faint aura of magic surrounding him.

"Need anything else besides the water before I leave you?" I inquired dutifully, examining the way his aura danced and rippled. Very few wizards exhibited manifestations like this. He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. I turned and was about to leave the room when I felt a tug on the back of my robe.

"Actually... I... I... usually read before I go to sleep... but since... well... I was just wondering if you might..."

I looked at his sad expression, there was a hopelessness in his empty eyes that made me feel terrible inside. It was a wretched sensation. One that had shocked me profoundly. I realized as his aura rippled that he was attempting desperately to keep himself in check. He was either very afraid or very embarrassed. It made me even sadder to think of the otherwise strong boy as being as vulnerable as he was right now.

"Of course Al. I wouldn't mind at all. What would you like me to read?" I asked watching him crawl awkwardly across his bed before slipping beneath his sheets.

"I was just about ready to start rereading His Dark Materials."

"The muggle Trilogy you mean?" I asked surprised.

"You've heard of it then?"

"Heard of it? They're some of my favorite books."

"Not many wizards read muggle literature so i'm shocked you have. The Golden Compass should still be in the second drawer of my dresser." There was a hesitancy to his words that made me think he was embarrassed at having to ask me read to him. In all honesty I would have been too. I walked to his bedside dresser and pulled out the hardbound copy of the Golden Compass that lay there. I stared down at the other objects in his drawer, taking particular notice of a leather bound journal and small stuffed rabbit. I smiled to myself trying to respect his privacy. A Slytherin might have set about reading the thing immediately.

After laying down next to the blind snake, I cracked the book open to start the tale. Twenty minutes went by before I turned and noticed that his eyes had closed peacefully shut.

I set the book down on the dresser, turning back to examine the listless mass.

"Al... I'm so sorry... I don't even know how this happened. I promise I won't rest until we figure out a way to get you better. Just find a way to survive until then." I sighed to myself thinking about how I'd responded to James's suggestion. "I still can't believe I punched your brother. He told me to let some random snake take care of you instead and I snapped." I paused to consider how tomorrow was going to go. I had never taken care of anyone before. "Goodnight Al... I hope you'll be able to forgive me someday." I'm not sure what possessed me to do what I did in that moment, but I couldn't think of anything else. I leaned down then to brush the hair away from his face, placing the stuffed animal from his drawer in his arms. I whispered another apology as softly as i could, feeling the guilt overcome me. I felt oddly protective of him suddenly. This was entirely my fault. After a moment I noticed his cheeks begin to brighten and I realized to my horror that he was still awake.

"Not exactly sure why you stopped reading... I was enjoying that part." he opened his eyes again and stared in the direction of my face. I guess he could feel where my weight shifted on the mattress.

"You were awake..."

"If you tell anybody about the stuffed rabbit I'll flay you alive."

"Ok... Erm... Goodnight Al." I offered a little embarrassed. It was a short lived emotion that had vanished as I'd made my way to my room, collapsing on my bed in utter exhaustion. It hadn't had the energy to feel embarrassed.

Several Hours later.

I had been fast asleep when I heard the first little pop. As I lay there in silence, I couldnt even be sure that i'd heard it. 'Pop' I heard again a little louder. I don't know why the soft sound had woken me when usually it took an earthquake or a blaring alarm to rouse me from my slumber. There was something however dark in the air that caused me to bolt upright. 'Pop' pop'. Was Al trying to get my attention? I wondered, thinking how hard it would have been for Al if he'd needed anything. I had left him enough water to last the night... what could he possibly need?

When I had heard a fifth pop I rose from my bed, switching the light on in my small bedroom. I donned some slippers and a night robe before grabbing my wand and casting a soft 'lumos'. After quickly exiting my room I made my way through the long stone corridor, amazed that my footsteps had been completely drowned out. There were obviously spells in the stones that muffled all sound. It wasn't until I'd reached the second doorway to the stairs that I heard the loudest sobbing anyone could possibly ever produce.

"H-Help..."

I burst through the door to find Albus collapsed right there at the foot of the steps.

"Shit Al! What happened?" I asked bending down to try and help the boy up. He screamed when I touched him.

"S-stupid st-st-stones!" He cursed as the tears flowed down his face. "Bloody tort-ture ch-chambers!"

"How long have you been like this?" I asked, realizing as I tried to get a firmer grip on him that he was soaked. When he screamed again... I knew I wouldn't be able to move him.

"h-h-hours."

I felt horrible at that. I should have made sure there was a way for him to get ahold of me in case of emergency. He was right though... whatever terrible spells had been put in place to keep the screams of the dungeon's inhabitants from reaching other parts of the castle were strong enough to keep me from hearing Al's pleas for help, even though he'd been right down the hall.

"Fuck Al... Let me see what I can do about your leg..." I offered softly. The first thing I did was to cast a pain relieving charm. I managed to dull his wound but obviously couldn't nullify it. His sobbing at least had been reduced to whimpers which made me feel slightly calm enough to handle the crisis levelheadedly. I couldn't believe how stupid I had been. I noticed that he still gasped every time I probed his left leg which meant most likely that it was...

"It's broken Al... I'm going to have to go and get Madame Pomfrey. Will you be ok if I go and get help?"

"Don't you dare... couldn't you just... try and fix it yourself?" He asked weakly, grabbing for me as best he could.

"Al... I don't think thats a good idea. I might mess it up."

"Please... I don't want anyone else to see me like this. They won't let me stay at school if i managed to maim myself on my first day like this. Besides you healed my hand in the forest... that was harder... Please... Just don't leave me alone here..."

"Ok ok... I'll give it a shot." I had reluctantly agreed only out of guilt for his predicament. I felt sick that this was my fault.

I carefully rolled up his silk night pants so that I had access to his broken leg. What I saw nearly brought me to tears. His bone had actually broken through the skin, now sticking out at and awkward angle. I immediately cast a second numbing charm which didn't work as well as the first but would at least keep him from passing out. I closed my eyes for a moment to review what charms I would need to use. I also had to consider how best to leave enough room for error in my work so that Poppy might be able to fix it should I mess up. I started my task quietly for a moment until i'd managed to get through the most difficult phase. It had taken me ten minutes of intense concentration to attempt the process without hurting him. "What possessed you to try and make it all the way down here anyway?" I asked finally when the bone had worked its way back beneath the skin. That he hadn't screamed again during the ordeal was accomplishment enough for me.

"My wand fell behind the bed... so... so... I couldn't use it to signal you or summon for the bathroom key. That... stupid... stupid... sniff... door... always locks itself automatically. So I thought i'd just use the bathroom downstairs... that's when I... fell." He offered hesitantly as I finished my spells to the sight of his muscle and flesh sealing shut. He seemed really shaken by what had happened. "This is bullshit... I broke my leg trying to use the fucking lou. How am I going to manage the rest of it?" He asked defeatedly. I merely rolled his pyjama pants back down and helped him to his feet. I had to brace him against me so that he wouldn't fall over. He was still in a lot of pain. I couldn't heal the break entirely... which meant it was still fractured.

"It's ok." I whispered softly. "We'll manage... I promise I'll do better next time. This won't happen again. It was a fluke."

He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Scor... please don't tell anyone about this..." He asked meekly as we hobbled our way up the stairs. It was slow going.

"Are you crazy? Who would I tell this to? Think i'm going to walk up to James in the morning and tell him I just forced his little brother to piss himself in the middle of the night. Oh and he broke his leg while he was at it? I'm not a Slytherin Al... I would never repeat this to anyone. No matter the circumstances... You can trust me ok?"

"Did you... did you really punch him this afternoon? When he told you to ditch me and let one of my housemates take care of me instead?" Al asked softly. He knew how close his brother and I were. It seemed ill placed a move for me. I just... Had been so mad.

"Erm... He might have lost a tooth actually... I may have hit him too hard." I felt sort of awkward about that. Even James seemed so surprised at my outrage that he merely spit out the blood and put his hands in his pockets before walking off. He hadn't uttered a word.

"Your joking right?" Al asked a little shocked.

"No..." I returned as I set him down on the upstairs toilet. I made my way over towards the bath before running the tap and blocking the drain. This place was so much nicer than the one downstairs. I walked back towards Al then, attempting to pull his shirt off of him.

"W-what a-are you doing?" Al asked as his cheeks reddened.

"You're covered in piss Al... What... did you think you were going to go several months without bathing?" I asked logically, watching his face get even redder. He seemed a little too shy for a boy.

"I can manage getting into the bath on my own..." He offered softly, trying to stand. He teetered a bit before finally balancing himself on his unbroken leg.

"If you slip in there and break your leg again... i'll drown you and tie weights to your corpse. After i've tossed your body in the black lake i'll merely tell them you ran away. How's that for a Slytherin response?"

"I'll be fine. I'll call for you if I need help." He offered as he undid the top button on his shirt and merely pulled it off. I walked towards the door turning back for a moment to stare at him. He seemed to sense my presence because he slowly halted the process of undressing.

"Oh by the way... i'll leave your clean clothes on the counter next to the sink. I'll manage cleaning... the ones... you've... worn" I added not wanting to use the word messed.

He nodded briefly before I closed the door. It took me fifteen minutes to wash the stairs and spent clothes he'd left. Whatever spells blocked sound from traveling through this part of the castle had also obviously been designed to interfere with magic. Only certain charms worked and no offensive magic whatsoever would activate. I'd have to ask Al later which spells he'd discovered would work. After I'd finished I set about making myself a slice of toast with blackberry jelly and a cup of camomile tea. While the water boiled I ran over towards the bed, reaching my hand beneath it to search for the wand. A simple lumos seemed to work which gave me a glimpse of the wooden instrument far back against the wall. After I'd fetched the thing I lay it down on his dresser, returning to pull some fresh nightwear from his closet.

I knocked on the door and entered with underwear and articles of clean linen when he turned to look at the door.

"Scor... you forgot the towel... I don't know where you set it down... also..." He paused at that sinking slightly farther beneath the bathwater.

"Yes?"

"Dammit... the pain charms are wearing off and you can't perform too many on me. It hurts like a bitch and my leg won't support my weight if i try to climb out... I tried it already... but i slipped... I'm afraid i'll fall again."

I rolled my eyes, grabbing the towel and undoing it. I walked over towards the bath and cleared my throat loudly. His decision to curse had me a little surprised.

"Don't look." He whispered shyly.

"How would you know if i did?" I snapped back a little annoyed. It wasn't his helplessness. It was the meek way he seemed to request the aid. He needed assistance. I owed him. I was willing to help. He shouldn't feel so awkward. It was as simple as that.

I liked it better when he'd been barking at me. This vulnerability seemed much too intimate.

"Don't be mean." He spat back, using my arm to help stand himself up. I realized I was being unfair with him.

"Here... just, use your bad leg first so the weight will be on the other. Yeah now i've got you." I offered wrapping the towel around him with my head tilted towards the ceiling. I helped him out of the bath and over towards the sink and mirror. I pulled a hand towel off the rack, watching as Al stared defeatedly into the space in front of him. I started to dry his hair, as he continued to zone out.

"Thank you Scor..." He whispered softly... it sounded like he was trying desperately to resist the urge to cry. I'd NEVER seen him like this before.

"Don't thank me Al. I've failed you miserably. Tomorrow we'll set everything out in a specific order and place so you'll know where to find it all. Then we'll get to training me so I can assist you with your potions work. I know you'll find a cure. Don't even worry about it." I don't know why I sounded so certain when the doubt in my heart was so palpable that I could feel it gnawing at my bones.

"Could you... turn around for a sec?" Al asked quietly, ignoring my reassurances. I did as he instructed. When i'd shifted back around he had managed to get his emerald Michael Kors trunks back on. They were the most popular brand used by wizards nowadays. Microfiber cotton, a half way mix between briefs and boxers. My eyes rose back up his chest towards his face... reaching for the shirt to help him in it. I felt awkward for having stared.

"There weren't any other clean Pyjama bottoms..."

"It's alright... just... could you help me back to bed. I'm really tired."

"Sure..." I let the defeated boy lean on me the entire way back to the mattress, where i managed to deposit him without doing him further injury. I looked at the boy for a moment before I'd made up my mind.

"Scor... what are you doing?" He asked suddenly as I slid into the bed with him.

"I'm not staying down there again. You were screaming for hours... and I couldn't hear a thing. That's not happening again. Ok?" I offered firmly. He nodded then as I switched off the lights. It was five minutes later before I heard the sobs. They grew louder and louder until I couldn't stand it anymore. I turned on my side and pulled him close, wrapping my arm protectively around the other boy.

"Is this ok?" I asked softly in his ear. He nodded with a whimper as the tears continued to flow. "I swear to you Al... I won't rest until I find a way to fix this. I'm so sorry Al."

He turned then, burying his face against me, trying to stifle the sound of his own cries. It was the most disheartening thing i'd ever seen.

"I swear."


End file.
